Kuala Lumpur to Barcelona- In Economy

If you are flying from Asia to the UK it is often worth looking for flights that start/finish in Europe rather than the UK. Tickets are often substantial cheaper, in all classes. This was the return leg of a trip booked almost a year previously for around £440 return, with on of the long haul legs in World Traveller Plus.
As I have noted before the BA KL service is using relatively old 777s at the moment, and this is particularly noticeable in Economy and with the in flight entertainment system. That having been said, service and food were both good and as I was travelling with my two children we had a row to ourselves. Night flights in Economy are not great, but when you don't have to sit next to strangers I can just about mange them, if I have to.
Unfortunately when I booked these tickets (over a year ago) I did not look carefully enough at the transit time in Heathrow. With 8 hours to kill in Heathrow we all had showers in the Terminal 3 BA lounge. The lounge is fine- and we were there so early it was actually quiet. We then headed out of the airport to do some shopping in Hounslow. A short flight to Barcelona was uneventful, and the catering in economy limited to a sandwich- which was of very good quality.

BA is up against Malaysia Airlines A380s out of Heathrow. If there is a straight choice I'd go on the A380. However, by looking to start your journey elsewhere in Europe the BA flights can be very affordable. Consider looking at Barcelona, Paris, Marseille, Franfurt and Amsterdam as starting points.

Royal Skies Lounge Brunei

The Royal Skies Lounge was refurbished recently, and it offers a quiet and pleasant space to passengers. The food on offer is quite reasonable, though the lack of passengers suggests that turnover at the buffet is not so great. There is a good range of soft drinks and quite good coffee. The wifi is reliable (I love the note on the agents desk- do not unplug the wifi to charge handphones!) There are also a number of computer terminals hidden away nicely if you have work to do.

I get access to this lounge when flying on Malaysia Airlines- either in Business class or as a sapphire member of the oneworld alliance. Of course, it is also available to those flying in Business class on Royal Brunei and to passengers who have status in their loyalty programme "Royal Skies". (Silver members of this programme get access to this lounge, Gold members get access to lounges in other airports aswell.

KLIA Plaza Premium Lounge

A trip on a non one world member airline presented an opportunity to visit the Plaza Premium lounge at KLIA. It is located in the Satellite building by the C gates. It is quite well appointed, though it can get busy. Depending on your access package you may have to pay extra for alcoholic drinks.

It does not compare with the one world lounges in KLIA, but if it is your only option then it may be better than nothing.

Galleries Lounges at Heathrow

The Galleries Lounges at T5 Heathrow are quite good. They are spacious and there is often a good range of hot and cold food as will as a good range of beers and wines. The two lounges in the main building do get very busy. If you are travelling from satellite building B or C it is usually better to head over to B to the lounge there. It is much quieter. However, there isn't a first class lounge there.


If you are flying from the main building and you have lots of time to kill, you can still make use of the lounge in building B. You will not be able to take the transit back to A, but on floor -4 there is a walkway which connects all the buildings and is open to the public. It takes 10-15 minutes to walk back from the lounge in satellite building B to the main Building.

KLIA Satellite Lounges....again

A one world member who is flying Business Class, or that only has Sapphire status in a one world programme has a choice between the Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge or the Cathay Pacific Lounge. The Golden Lounge is more spacious and has a greater range of food on offer- the food is OK (but I think the regional golden lounge is better). The wash room and shower facilities are certainly more extensive than Cathay have- as would be expected. However, the wifi in the Golden Lounge can be a little inconsistent- and today the Cathay Lounge came to the rescue and allowed me put through an urgent click and collect order before being stuck on a plane for 13 hours.

Don't forget they also serve Heineken or Tiger rather than Carlsberg. The Cathay Lounge is well worth a visit.

Malaysia Airlines Lounge Satellite (Long Haul)

In the satellite building of Kuala Lumpur International Airport you will find both a Business Class and a First Class Malaysia Airlines lounge. The Business Class lounge is big, and offers a variety of hot and cold food that can be quite good. There is a very quiet and well equipped business centre, and the staff are happy to help you with printing if required. The bar is also very attractive. A range of wines, including champagne are available, as with the regional lounge, the beer choice is limited to carlsberg There is usually some sport to watch on the big screen. The washrooms and showers are fine, though at peak times it can be difficult to get access to the showers.

That is not the case in the First Class lounge. Here the showers are usually available, and they are quite impressive. The lounge does have a more sophisticated and quieter feel, as you would expect. On the other hand, the buffet food is no better than next door. However, there is also a table service section- I have not tried this, nor do I know if there is a more extensive choice of beer!

Near to the shared reception areas are a large number of lockers which can be very useful if you are travelling alone and do not want to carry any hand baggage wherever you go in the airport.

One world passengers could use the Cathay Pacific lounge in the satellite building instead, which is briefly reviewed here.

Malaysia Airlines Lounge Kuala Lumpur Regional

If you are flying internationally from Kuala Lumpur you have a choice of a large number of lounges. It is perfectly reasonable to get on the transit to the satellite building where a Business and First Class Malaysia Airlines lounges and a Cathay Pacific lounge are available to one world passengers. If you are flying regionally there is also a Malaysia Airlines Business Class lounge in the main terminal building. It is my favourite of the Business Lounges at KLIA. An escalator whisks you away from the hustle and bustle of the main terminal. A very pleasant water feature welcomes you into the main lounge, which has a good view of airport operations. The bar is a prominent feature, and wine, including champagne and a wide range of spirits are enthusiastically dispensed. The beer choice is rather limited (to Carlsberg). The food is often good, with some convincing hot and cold options. The lounge is well organised, with a large business centre with a number of PCs available for use, an area for children, an eating area as well as quieter space with comfortable seating. There is also a spa, which offers massages and other treatments if you have time. The washrooms and showers are invariably clean- and they appear to have solved the lack of hot water issue from a couple of years ago.

All in all, well worth a visit. Even if you are just popping in for a beer on your way to the satellite terminal for your long haul flight!

Malaysia Airlines Lounge Kuala Lumpur Domestic

The Domestic terminal at Kuala Lumpur International Airport has been recently refurbished with a larger range of shops added. Around the same time the domestic lounge also had a bit of a face lift. The lounge is spacious and rarely busy. The food offering is respectable, though nothing too grand. On domestic flights, and in the domestic lounge, there is no alcohol available. One of the changes in the update was the installation of soft drink fountains rather than cans in a fridge. All very well, but no low calorie drinks were included. fortunately, within days, cans of pepsi light appeared back in the fridge. The lounge is conveniently located very close to a number of gates, and is pleasant place to spend time in before a domestic flight.

One point to note, is that when transferring from an international flight to a domestic flight in KLIA there can be a long and slow moving queue as you go through immigration. If this is the case, you may find it more pleasant to go landside with those passengers who are remaining in Kuala Lumpur and then simply walk through domestic departures- there is almost never queues at the main immigration points, the only place that can be a problem is transiting to or from (but mainly to) a domestic flight.

Cathay Pacific Lounge Kuala Lumpur

One world passengers can also make use of the Cathay Pacific lounge in the satellite building. As you would expect this lounge is a lot smaller than the Malaysia airlines lounges in the airport. However, it may be worth a visit for a number of reasons. First, if you are not flying with Cathay, you are likely to find the lounge empty or almost empty. Secondly, if you are a beer drinker, they offer a better range- usually tiger and heineken, than the Malaysia Airlines. The food offer is well presented, and again, makes a change from what is on offer in the nearby Malaysia lounges.

The Malaysia Airlines flights to both London and Paris leave around midnight. However, my connecting flight to KL arrives around 18:00. As a result, I often have a lot of time to kill at the airport- for this reason I do visit the Cathay Lounge, really just for a change of scene. However, if you are only going to be in a lounge for a couple of hours it probably makes sense to choose the Malaysia Lounges. Of course, an emerald one world member has a potential "lounge crawl" if they wish. A visit to the regional lounge, the Malaysia Business lounge, the Cathay lounge, and then finally back to the Malaysia First class lounge will keep you busy for some time.

Miri airport lounge

Miri airport has a  lounge, which is accessible to oneworld emerald and sapphire customers travelling in Economy on Malaysia Airlines, as well as those flying on Business Class- though I have been unable to take a guest in. The positives are that it is rarely busy, and there are two PCs that offer a convenient way to catch up with work if necessary. Other than that, though, this must be one of the worst lounges in the oneworld network. The food offering is truly dreadful. and the drinks disappointing- there is never any alcohol in domestic Malaysia Airlines Lounges, but even the soft drinks here are a disappointment- mediocre coffee or local soft drinks out of two litre bottles kept in a luke warm fridge. At least there is water.

Do think twice before using miles/avios to take a business class flight from Miri- (Especially using MHupgrade, as you may lose tier points!) Certainly don't upgrade for the lounge. That having been said, once in the sky, Malaysia Airlines domestic and regional product is very good indeed- and far better than you would find most European Carriers. 

Malaysia Airlines for Tier Point Runs

In order to maintain Silver status in the British Airways Executive club you need to collect 600 tier points in each membership year. (You also need to take four British Airways Flights). Silver Status is equivalent to sapphire One World Status and will get you lounge access across the one world network. In order to obtain BA Gold you need to earn 1500 tier points.

Flying on Malaysia Airlines is a good way to pick up cheap tier points. Ideally you are looking for flights just over 2000 miles as these pick up 140 tier points in Business Class. It is possible to find tier points runs that work out as less than £1 a tier point on Malaysia Airlines- though they can be awkward.

For example a return flight from Phuket to New Delhi via KL will earn 360 tier points (40+140+140+40) and can be purchased in June (and quite often) for approximately £351.

Perhaps you need fewer Tier Points to get you over the line to a higher status level. If this is the case then the domestic business class promotions are sometimes good value. You can often find Business Tickets from Kuala Lumpur to Johor Bharu or Langkawi for RM380, around £70. This will net you 40 tier points (80 return) for less than £2 a tier point.

People looking for Tier Point runs from Europe or Asia have spent years looking at American Airlines in the US with envy- Malaysia Airlines give us a chance to pick up those last few tier points almost as cheaply we could in the US.

Malaysia Airlines A380 Business Class

With the news that Malaysia Airlines has put its A380s up for sale, this could be a bit of a wasted post. However, if you are travelling to or from Europe in the next few months the MH A380 Business product is very high quality. The lounges in both KL and London are of a good standard. The lounge in Paris is not. However, once on board the plane you are assured a warm welcome, a spacious cabin and a comfortable seat. The cabin is in 2X2X2 formation, which is great if you are travelling with a companion, less so if you are alone. The food served is very good, especially out of Paris. I have not successfully used the chef on call service. I did book it once, but I slept the whole way to London, and didn't fancy steak for breakfast! However, chef on call is an interesting innovation number of carriers are using. It gives the passenger a wider choice of meals, and cuts out the waste and cost of carrying reserve meals. However, I do not always know what I am going to want to eat in the future!

If paying cash for this flight, and you do not mind including a connection, it is worth searching for prices from Phuket and Bangkok. The fact that you are going back on yourself does bring the cost down- sometimes significantly. Another starting point worth looking at is Bali. If you are using miles or Avios, then availability is often better to Paris.

One World Alliance - key benefitsof British Airways Executive Club

The one world alliance contains a large number of key airlines for travellers based in the ASEAN region. The founding members included British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, which gave the alliance useful coverage between Europe and Asia and within Asia. Recently Malaysia Airlines, Qatar and Sri Lankan Airlines have joined making the alliance particularly attractive.

Of all of the loyalty programmes within one world, despite the recent changes the British Airways Executive club is my preferred choice. This is despite the fact that the majority of my flights are actually flown with Malaysia Airlines. The key benefits of the British Airways Executive Club are:

1. Clear progression through the tiers- Tier points are straight forward and earned on almost every flight (be careful on Malyasia Airlines though- more to follow on this)

2. Even following the devlauation, generous points earning opportunities from flying- especially on British Airways, American Airlines and Iberia.

3. The household account- this makes earning avios as a family a breeze and means reward flights are earned much quicker than with competing schemes.

4. Tier status benefits are well respected throughout the alliance- sometimes additional luggage allowances can be a little bit of a struggle at check in though.

By having status in the BA programme rather than the MH programme I do miss out on some benefits when flying on Malaysia Airlines. For example, I do not pick up tier bonus enrich points. The additional luggage allowance for enrich passengers with status is generous and quite straight forward (50%/100% extra for Gold/Platinum members). Finally I never get upgraded when travelling on Malaysia Airlines. However, given how empty Business/first cabins seem to be I assume that Malaysia Airlines only upgrade for operational reasons, so I doubt I miss much.

The British Airways Executive club is a good option for ASEAN travellers. However, you do need to have 4 flights on British Airways flights each year to maintain status. This may be a problem for a reader who does not travel once a year or so to Europe (or Australia).

More on the benefits of the Executive Club, and how to earn and maintain status in future posts.

Paris to Johor Bharu: Malaysia Airlines First Class

I have flown the Malaysia Airlines A380 service between Paris and Kuala Lumpur many times as described here. I have used all three cabins. Most recently I flew in First Class from Paris to Johor Bharu. This was a reward flight- it cost 99,000 Avios. 90,000 for Paris to Kuala Lumpur and then 9,000 for the hop down to Johor Bharu in Business.

I currently only have sapphire one-world status. This means that I am not able to use first class check-in desks unless I am flying first class. Unfortunately when I tried to check in the first class desk was busy and I was ushered to a Business Class desk. I was checked in without delay, but I was a little disappointed not to have been at a first class desk (ridiculous I know). I had two suitcases and two carry on items. I tried to check the carry on items, but wasn't allowed because of the two piece rule. A little frustrating- and if I had paid £4,000+ for my ticket I may have been bit more irritated.

The lounge used by Malaysia Airlines in Charles de Gaulle is very disappointing- but this was not unexpected as the the other lounges in terminal 1 are also not great. In the past I have struggled to board this plane on time- there are only two security channels to get through to the gates. If there is another plane going at the same time it can be chaos. I asked the lounge staff if there was a fast track system for first class passengers. Their response- "this is Paris sir". Suitably chastised as a capitalist bourgeois  pig, I headed to the gate, to find no queue at all. I breezed through security and on to the plane.

The First Class cabin on the A380 is very spacious, the seat is huge The crew were excellent as was the food. Dom Perignon 2003 was served. The caviar and salmon starter was fantastic. There were only two other passengers in first class. Business class was also significantly less than half full. I do worry for the future of this service especially as  Malaysia Airlines has now put its A380s up for sale.

I regard Malaysia Airlines A380 Business class very highly. First class offers more space, but not many other significant benefits. If travelling with a companion I will continue to fly Business class. If alone, the extra 30,000 avios for First class could be worthwhile, because of the individual seating. That having been said, loads on this route seem low- perhaps you would be unlucky not to have an empty seat beside you in Business Class.